Almighty God says: If people can truly fully understand the right path of human life as well as the purpose of God’s management of mankind, they would not hold their individual future and destiny as a treasure in their heart. They would no longer wish to serve their parents who are worse than pigs and dogs. Are man’s future and destiny not exactly the current day so-called “parents” of Peter? They are just like man’s own flesh and blood. Will the destination, the future of the flesh be to see God while alive, or for the soul to meet God after death? Will the flesh end up tomorrow in a great furnace as in tribulations, or will it be in the burning of fire? Aren’t questions like these concerning whether man’s flesh will endure misfortune or suffering the biggest news that anyone now in this stream who has a brain and is in their right mind is most concerned with? (Here, enduring suffering refers to receiving blessings; suffering means that future trials are beneficial for man’s destination. Misfortune refers to being unable to stand firm, or being deceived; or, it means that one meets with unfortunate crises amidst disasters and their life is difficult to preserve, and that there is no suitable destination for the soul.) Men are equipped with sound reason but perhaps what they think does not entirely correspond to what their reason should be equipped with. This is because they are rather ignorant and follow things blindly. They should all have a thorough grasp of what they should enter into, and they should particularly sort out what should be entered into during the tribulation (that is, during the refinement of the furnace), and what they should be equipped with in the trial of fire. Do not always serve your parents (meaning the flesh) who are like pigs and dogs, and are worse than ants and bugs. What is the point of agonizing over it, thinking so hard, racking your brains? The flesh does not belong to you, but is in the hands of God who not only controls you but also commands Satan. (It originally meant that it belonged to Satan. Because Satan is also in God’s hands, it could only be put that way. For it is more persuasive to say it that way — it suggests that men are not entirely under Satan’s domain, but are in God’s hands.) You are living under the torment of the flesh, but does the flesh belong to you? Is it under your control? Why bother racking your brains over it? Why bother obsessively pleading with God for your putrid flesh which has long been condemned and cursed, as well as defiled by the unclean spirits? Why bother always holding the associates of Satan close to your heart? Do you not worry that the flesh may ruin your real future, wonderful hopes, and the true destination for your life?
The path of today is not easy to walk. One can say that it is hard to come by and is extremely rare throughout the ages. However, who would have thought that man’s flesh alone is enough to destroy him at once? The work today is certainly as precious as rain in the spring and as valuable as God’s kindness toward man. However, if man does not know the purpose of His work today or understand the substance of mankind, how can its preciousness and valuableness be talked of? Flesh does not belong to humans themselves, so no one can see clearly where its destination will actually be. Nevertheless, you should know well that the Lord of creation will return mankind, which was created, to their original position, and restore their original image from the time of their creation. He will completely take back the breath He breathed into man, and take back his bones and flesh and return all to the Lord of creation. He will completely transform and renew humanity, and take back from man the entire inheritance which originally did not belong to mankind, but belonged to God. He will no longer hand it over to mankind. For none of those things originally belonged to mankind. He will take them all back — this is not unfair plundering, but it is meant to restore heaven and earth to their original state, and to transform and renew man. This is the reasonable destination for man, although perhaps it is not taking it back after chastising the flesh as people imagine. God does not want the skeletons of the flesh after its destruction, but the original elements in man that belonged to God in the beginning. Hence, He will not annihilate humanity or completely eradicate man’s flesh, for man’s flesh is not private property which belongs to man. Rather, it is the adjunct of God, who manages humanity. How could He annihilate man’s flesh for Him to “enjoy”? At this time, have you really let go of everything of that flesh of yours which is not even worth a single penny? If you could comprehend thirty percent of the work of the last days (only thirty percent, that is, comprehending the work of the Holy Spirit today, as well as the work of the word God does in the last days), then you would not continue to “serve” or be “filial” to your flesh as you do today, which has been corrupt for many years. You ought to understand thoroughly that humans have now advanced to an unprecedented state and will no longer continue to progress forward like the wheels of history. Your moldy flesh has long been covered with flies, so how can it have the power to reverse the wheels of history which God has enabled to continue on to this day? How can it make the clock of the last days that is like a mute tick again and continue to move its hands clockwise? How can it retransform the world that seems shrouded in dense fog? Can your flesh revive the mountains and rivers? Can your flesh, which has only a little function, really restore the kind of human world which you have yearned for? Can you really educate your descendants to become “human beings”? Do you get it now? What exactly does your flesh belong to? God’s original intention for working man, for perfecting man, and for transforming man was not to give you a beautiful homeland or to bring peaceful rest to man’s flesh. Instead, it was for the sake of His glory and His testimony, for mankind’s better enjoyment in the future, and so that they may soon enjoy rest. Still, it is not for your flesh, for man is the capital of God’s management and man’s flesh is merely an adjunct. (A man is an object with both spirit and body, whereas flesh is only a corruptible item. This means that flesh is a tool for the management plan.) You ought to know that God’s perfecting men, completing men, and gaining men have brought nothing but swords and smiting for their flesh, and brought endless suffering, the burning of fire, merciless judgment, chastisement, and curse, as well as boundless trials. Such is the inside story and truth of the work of managing man. However, all these things are aimed against man’s flesh, and all spearheads of hostility are mercilessly directed toward man’s flesh (for man was originally innocent). All of that is for the sake of His glory and testimony, and for His management. This is because His work is not solely for the sake of mankind, but it is for the entire plan and to fulfill His original will when He created mankind. Therefore, perhaps ninety percent of what people experience is sufferings and trials of fire, but there are very few or even no sweet and happy days which man’s flesh has yearned for, and they are even more unable to enjoy happy moments in the flesh spending beautiful evenings with God. The flesh is filthy, so what man’s flesh sees or enjoys is nothing but God’s chastisement which is not favored by man, and is as if it were lacking normal reason. This is because He will manifest His righteous disposition which is not favored by man, does not tolerate man’s offenses, and loathes enemies. God openly reveals all of His disposition through any means necessary, thereby concluding the work of His six-thousand-year battle with Satan — the work of the salvation of all of mankind and the destruction of the old Satan!
from Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh
The tenets of The Church of Almighty God originate from all of the truths expressed by God in His three stages of work.